The conventional technique for manufacture of identification cards for both non-impact and impact printers (that is in which the variable indicia, such as the customer's name and account number, are printed on the ID cards) is laminating a desired face stock coated with an adhesive to a special film. The film is coated on one side with an aliphatic polyurethane, and on the other side with a permanent adhesive and release liner. This construction is then put on a press such as Webtron 1600, and printed, die cut, matrix stripped, slit, and rewound. The cards are then tipped on or blown on to a carrier sheet, and variable printing can be applied when they are on the carrier sheet. When the cards are removed from the carrier sheet, the adhesive layer (in contact with the card) also removes the aliphatic polyurethane layer, which deactivates the adhesive. However when the ultimate user of the ID card handles it in normal use, the polyurethane layer abrades, and the adhesive comes through in spots so that the card becomes sticky.
In another conventional technique, a hot melt or cold latex glue is used to adhere the ID card to a carrier. As the carrier with attached card travels through a roller nip, around a roller, or the like, the card may unseat from the carrier. Once unseated, the card cannot effectively be reattached since the glue is no longer molten or fluid. Likewise, during subsequent handling of the carrier web, if the card is unseated there is no readily available means to reposition the card on the carrier.
According to the present invention, an identification card assembly, and a method of manufacture of identification cards, are provided which avoid the problem discussed above. According to the present invention, when the ID card is removed from the carrier sheet by the ultimate customer, it is stripped from a layer of repositional adhesive (such as Cleantac.TM. adhesive sold by Moore Business Forms, Inc. of Lake Forest, Ill.), essentially no repositional adhesive sticking to the card. Since the card is thus entirely plastic (or paper), with no adhesive components, even during use it cannot become sticky.
According to one aspect of the present invention an identification card assembly is provided. The assembly comprises the following components: A plurality of identification cards each having top and bottom faces. Indicia imaged on each card top face. And, an intermediate carrier for the cards, comprising: a release material web; permanent adhesive disposed on a first face of the release material web; stock operatively disposed on the permanent adhesive, a first face of the stock operatively engaging the permanent adhesive, and the stock having a second face; and a repositional adhesive operatively associated with the stock second face, the repositional adhesive engaging the cards. The repositional adhesive has greater affinity for the card than the permanent adhesive has for the release material web, and the repositional adhesive has greater affinity for the stock second face than for the card.
In the assembly described above, a tie coat may be provided between the repositional adhesive and the stock second face to enhance adherence of the repositional adhesive to the stock. The stock is preferably paper, or clear Mylar or vinyl label stock, while the cards are preferably plastic. The permanent adhesive, stock, tie coat, and repositional adhesive are provided in spaced discrete areas on the release material web, only under each of the cards, and the release material web may be wound up into a roll configuration.
According to another aspect of the present invention an ID card assembly is provided comprising the following elements: A carrier sheet having first length and width dimensions and a top face. Permanent adhesive disposed on the carrier sheet top face. Stock having top and bottom faces, the stock bottom face operatively connected to the permanent adhesive. Repositional adhesive operatively connected to the stock top face. An ID card having top and bottom faces. Indicia provided on the ID card top face, and the ID card bottom face engaging the repositional adhesive. And, the permanent adhesive, stock, repositional adhesive, and ID card having second length and width dimensions, both significantly less than the first dimensions, and the repositional adhesive having greater affinity for the stock, and the permanent adhesive having greater affinity for the carrier sheet, than the repositional adhesive has for the card bottom face.
In the assembly described above a tie coat can be provided between the repositional adhesive and the stock, and the carrier sheet may be provided as part of a mailer type business form, with the ID card contained within the mailer. A plurality of ID cards may be connected to the carrier sheet, and spaced from each other therealong, each ID card having repositional adhesive, stock, and permanent adhesive, of the second dimensions, associated therewith.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method of making ID cards. The method comprises the following steps: (a) Imaging indicia on at least a top face of a web of ID card material. (b) Laminating the web of ID card material to a web of release material, using a web of stock material connected to the web of release material by permanent adhesive, and repositional adhesive connecting the ID card material to the stock material, to provide a composite web. After steps (a) and (b) substantially sequentially: (c) Die cutting the composite web to form discrete ID cards. (d) Stripping matrix material from the composite web to provide ID cards spaced from each other along the release material web. (e) Rolling up the release material web into a roll configuration. (f) Taking the ID cards, with connected repositional adhesive, stock, and permanent adhesive, from the web of release material and positioning them on a carrier sheet so that at least one ID card is on a carrier sheet, and so that multiple cards on a carrier sheet are spaced from each other. And, (g) variably imaging indicia on the top face of the ID card or cards on the carrier sheet.
Step (g) is preferably practiced using a non-impact printer, and step (a) may be practiced by imaging both the top and bottom face of the web of ID card material. Step (f) may be practiced by blowing on or tipping on, and step (b) is typically practiced by providing a tie coat between the repositional adhesive and the stock. The carrier sheet may be in the form of a continuous web, in which case there is the further step of separating the continuous web into discrete sheets. Each of the discrete sheets may be formed into a mailer type business form, with a single ID card contained within the mailer.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an advantageous ID card assembly, and method of making ID cards. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.